Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has "authorised" the transition to a new government, without acknowledging his narrow defeat by his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In a short speech that lasted just over two minutes - his first public comments since Sunday’s election - Bolsonaro did not concede the election.
Instead he defended his first term, and said he supports ongoing protests by truckers who have disrupted transport of goods and people by erecting roadblocks across the country.
He also said he would abide by the constitution, which stipulates a transition of power on 1 January.
Following the constitution
“I have always played within the four lines of the constitution,” Bolsonaro said,
"As president of the Republic and a citizen, I will continue to comply with our constitution."
Then his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira took the podium and said Bolsonaro had "authorised" the "start of the transition" process.
Bolsonaro’s silence after the election raised concerns about whether he would accept the results after months of repeated baseless claims that the electoral system was open to fraud.
Support for protesters
Protesters wearing the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag, which the outgoing president had adopted as his own, have been protesting since Sunday and said they would not accept the outcome of the election.
"The current popular movements are the fruit of indignation and a sense of injustice about the way the electoral process took place," Bolsonaro said in his speech.
He said the roadblocks erected by protesters are “the fruit of indignation and a feeling of injustice about the way the electoral process took place”.
He told them to avoid destroying property or "impeding the right to come and go," but he did not tell them to go home.
Earlier Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the federal highway police to immediately clear the roads.
The decision permits regular state police forces to reinforce federal highway police, though it is unclear how effective their involvement would be as Bolsonaro enjoys widespread support from the police forces' rank and file.
Starting the transition
In a statement, the Supreme Court said it considered that, by authorising the government transition, Bolsonaro was recognising the result of the election.
International leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have publicly recognised Lula da Silva's victory, as have some of Bolsonaro’s closest allies, including the speaker of the lower house of Congress, who have been calling since Sunday for the Bolsonaro government to respect the election result.
Nogueira and Vice President Hamilton Mourao have begun to make contact with the Lula camp to discuss a transition.
Lula's Workers' Party announced that his running mate, former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin, would lead the transition process which would begin on Thursday.
He will be assisted by party leader Gleisi Hoffmann and former Education Minister Aloizio Mercadante.
Lula has promised to overturn many of Bolsonaro's policies, including weak protection of the Amazon rainforest. His aides confirmed that he would attend this month's COP27 United Nations climate summit in Egypt.
(with wires)
